Northumberland foster carers warn Government of 'crisis' facing system

Kathleen Burn, from Choppington, has said there is a need for “urgent reform” to the foster care sector. She was joined at Parliament by other foster carers from across the UK belonging to the IWGB Foster Care Workers Union.

The union is calling for the introduction of workers’ rights like sick pay and access to collective bargaining. It comes as the UK faces a shortage of 6,500 foster carers, while the number of children needing care has topped 100,000 – the highest level on record.

Kath said: “Every child, no matter what they’ve been through, deserves a loving, stable home. But right now, the UK’s foster care system is on its knees.

“Foster carers in Northumberland, like many other parts of the country, are really struggling to keep our heads above water. We feel beaten down after having been denied for so long the basic rights and respect that other care professionals get.

“I was very proud to speak in Parliament on behalf of carers in Northumberland and all over the country. We chatted to over 20 MPs, including my local MP Ian Lavery, who were shocked to hear about our conditions and keen to advocate on our behalf.

“Every one of us went away energised by the level of support we had in the room, taking with us pledges from several MPs to join our All Party Parliamentary Group and work with us on solutions to the care crisis. Our vision for the future is for every foster carer in the country to be part of the union, so that our voice is impossible to ignore, and together we can ensure the children in our care get the love and protection they deserve.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “We have inherited a children’s social care system in need of wholesale reform – and foster care has been overlooked for too long.

“We are determined to change that, which is why we are investing £15 million to boost the number of foster carers next year, breaking down barriers to opportunity for children across the country as part of our Plan for Change.

“This includes investment in Foster North East, a regional recruitment hub that is generating new foster placements and offering local children a stable environment to grow up in.”

In October, Northumberland County Council increased weekly payments for foster carers from £183.49 to £210 following a decade of pay freezes. However, carers remained unhappy and argued they still received less than those in neighbouring authorities.

Union members brought proceedings at County Hall to a halt in January to call for fairer pay.

Cabinet member for children’s services Cllr Guy Renner-Thompson said: “We have over the past 10 months been reviewing the support that is provided to our foster carers. In October we agreed an increase to our Band 2 carers and a move that meant we stopped paying per household and moved to paying per child, which in some circumstances doubled or tripled the income families were getting depending on how many children they foster.

“As part of the budget in February we introduced a Band 3 into our fees structure. The Banding has been based on benchmarking work undertaken in 2024 by the fostering team and giving particular consideration to our neighbouring authorities.

“Work is ongoing around how we strengthen our full offer and a strategic plan / timeline has been developed to support developments across the year. We have confirmed that our foster carers will be getting an inflationary increase in the fees in April, and we have set in motion an annual review process to make sure that inflation is taken into account.

“I want to say we will continue to work hard to support all of our carers, recognising the work that they do and finally I want to add a thank you to our foster carers for the support and dedication that they provide to our children and young people.”